Accepting Differences

Acceptance has two components: receptiveness and respect. Building up the capacity and willingness to accept others creates more relaxed interactions. People should be allowed to reflect their backgrounds and cultures in their behaviors without rejection. When an individual is receptive, he or she is patient and adapts to coworkers' differences. Receptiveness promotes an atmosphere that grants freedom in style and behavior.

Respect goes beyond simply "putting up" with others' differences. It means being able to fully appreciate all individuals, based totally on the qualities they bring to the task at hand. Respecting the views of other people without burdening or tarnishing them with negative cultural or racial characterizations is the only way to have successful relationships. Ultimately, respect means seeing value in people based on their contributions, rather than on their backgrounds and cultures. When an individual respects and values diverse characteristics and behaviors, wonderful teamwork follows. Respect creates trust.

Positive behaviors related to diversity result in the ability to interact effectively with people different from oneself. With self-awareness, one understands personal values, motives, and beliefs. Become conscious of personal strengths and weaknesses, and be sensitive to the effects of those characteristics on others. Developing skills necessary to adjust behaviors while still maintaining identity, values, and beliefs is an important step. Knowing yourself and how you affect other people helps you choose appropriate behaviors.



As a skillful person, you can manage situations and successfully interact with people who may be very different from you. With these skills, you will be able to modify your behavior to meet the needs of any situation. Effective interpersonal skills reflect an ability to be flexible when reacting to the ideas and opinions of others. You show respect and trust through cooperation, attentiveness, and friendliness. This, in turn, results in more harmonious relationships and increased productivity.

The bottom line is that people who make an effort to find out more about diverse cultural groups work better with others and enjoy their work more. People who have interest in learning about other people and their histories create the kind of environment where everyone enjoys working. This is the way to understand and use information to develop unbiased working relationships.

Retention of the best nurses requires a work environment that will embrace differences. The "Discovering Diversity Profile" enables your staff to discover their opinions and feelings about workforce diversity. Interpretation and analysis stages will give them individual feedback on their responses. This will increase awareness of individual, ethnic, and cultural differences, and identify potential areas of conflict while the nurses gain insights into achieving positive resolutions.

To increase your department's knowledge, understanding, acceptance, and behaviors related to the diverse healthcare workplace, contact Doris Young at 800 673-8005 or www.DorisYoungAssociates.com.